TRUMP THINKS HE'S RUBBER AND BLACK PEOPLE ARE GLUE

Will Bunch think Donald Trump was trying to stir up a race war in his Texas rally over the weekend.

In a sign that Trump is increasingly worried about the overlapping probes ... he explicitly called for mob action if charges are lodged.... Said Trump: “If these radical, vicious racist prosecutors do anything wrong or illegal I hope we are going to have in this country the biggest protest we have ever had ... in Washington D.C., in New York, in Atlanta and elsewhere because our country and our elections are corrupt.”

... let’s take a step back and drill down on arguably the most important and alarming word in Trump’s statement: “Racist.” At first blush, it seems to come out of left field, in the sense of what could be racist about looking into a white man’s role in an attempted coup or his cooked financial books? Except that it happens that three of the key prosecutors investigating Trump — the Fulton County, Ga., district attorney, Fani Willis, New York State Attorney General Letitia James, and new Manhattan prosecutor Alvin Bragg — as well as the chair of the House committee, Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, are all Black.

... In tying skin color into his call for mobs in Atlanta or New York, Trump is seeking to start a race war — no different, really, from Dylann Roof. Roof used a .45-caliber Glock handgun, while Trump uses a podium and the services of fawning right-wing cable TV networks. Sadly, the latter method could prove more effective.

Is that what Trump is doing? Is this really cold calculation on his part?

I'm not sure, but I can tell you that calling Black people he doesn't like "racist" is a Trump tic -- he did it repeatedly in the days when he was still on Twitter. He probably picked the habit up from the right-wing media (which regularly refers to those who denounce racism as "the real racists"), and I'm sure it appeals to him because he's a grade-school bully, someone for whom "I'm rubber, you're glue, everything you say bounces off me and sticks to you" is still a sick burn.

Here are some examples I found when I searched for "racist" at the Trump Twitter Archive:

Sep 2nd 2019 - 8:09:56 AM EST: The Amazon Washington Post did a story that I brought racist attacks against the “Squad.” No, they brought racist attacks against our Nation. All I do is call them out for the horrible things they have said. The Democrats have become the Party of the Squad!

Jul 28th 2019 - 3:18:20 PM EST: If racist Elijah Cummings would focus more of his energy on helping the good people of his district, and Baltimore itself, perhaps progress could be made in fixing the mess that he has helped to create over many years of incompetent leadership. His radical “oversight” is a joke!

Feb 25th 2019 - 6:50:18 AM EST: Be nice if Spike Lee could read his notes, or better yet not have to use notes at all, when doing his racist hit on your President, who has done more for African Americans (Criminal Justice Reform, Lowest Unemployment numbers in History, Tax Cuts,etc.) than almost any other Pres!

Feb 21st 2019 - 11:09:57 AM EST: .@JussieSmollett - what about MAGA and the tens of millions of people you insulted with your racist and dangerous comments!? #MAGA

Sep 9th 2013 - 9:44:37 PM EST: @Toure If you weren't such a dumb racist moron with bad ratings you would know I never filed for bankruptcy,now worth over $10 billion dummy

Aug 20th 2013 - 11:30:08 PM EST: "@LisaRiv76873320: @realDonaldTrump Who is Bryant Gumbel?" A racist dope with a long and deep record of failure!

Will Trump's use of the word "racist" over the weekend be perceived as a summons to a race war? I think it depends on whether the right-wing media follows up with reminders that hey, did you notice all those Trump persecutors are ... you-know-what? It also depends on whether Trump emphasizes this attack in future statements, interviews, and rally speeches. He might, especially if he thinks it will get a rise out of liberals and mainstream pundits.

I don't really think he's Dylann Roof. Roof sincerely wanted to fight for white people. Trump only wants to fight for himself. But he doesn't care how he does it, or about the damage caused by the methods he choses. He cares about getting away with it and winning. That's all.